New President of Pokemon USA, PokeBall in Mario Galaxy, Pokemon Snap in Europe, PMD2

[Alakazam]

New President of Pokemon USA

The president of Pokémon USA, Akira Chiba, announced that he'll be stepping down at the end of 2007. His successor has already been named, Kenji Okubo, who will have control over the anime everywhere it is shown, except Japan. Below is the full press release.



NEW YORK–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Pokémon USA, Inc. today announced Akira Chiba, president, will resign at the end of this year. After years of dedicated service, Mr. Chiba is proud to leave Pokémon USA upon completing his mission to re-establish Pokémon as a successful global brand. Mr. Chiba joined Pokémon USA in 2002 when the company’s New York office was established, the brand’s first corporate headquarters outside of Japan. Upon stepping down, Mr. Chiba has plans to pursue other opportunities.

Mr. Chiba will be replaced by Mr. Kenji Okubo, previously executive vice president and head of Pokémon USA’s Seattle office, effective January 1, 2008. Mr. Okubo will manage Pokémon’s operations in New York, Seattle and London, and will oversee all Pokémon initiatives outside of Japan including the Pokémon Trading Card Game, the long-running animated TV series, North American and European licensing and the recently launched, Pokémon Trading Figure Game. Prior to joining Pokémon USA in 2004, Mr. Okubo worked at The Pokémon Company headquarters in Tokyo, Japan as director of international business.

“During Mr. Chiba’s tenure, Pokémon USA has greatly expanded,� said Okubo. “The brand is topping industry charts across all categories — including video games, toys, and trading card games — plus the Pokémon animated TV series is hugely successful on Cartoon Network. We thank Mr. Chiba for his efforts on behalf of Pokémon and wish him success in the future.�




PokeBall in Super Mario Galaxy

In Super Mario Galaxy, a planet has been discovered in the Kitchen that looks like a PokeBall. The video footage is below.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XAfAKDFPw0o


Pokemon Snap released early in Europe

To everyone's surprise, Pokemon Snap was released the same day in Europe as it was in the United States and Canada, Monday, December 10th. Originally, it was thought it was going to be released Friday, December 14th, but apparently those plans were changed. Players in Europe can now download the game from the Wii Virtual Console for 1,000 Wii Points.


Three New Legendaries in Pokemon Mystery Dungeon 2

As mentioned in a news article last month, the codes to obtain the three legendary Pokemon, Giratina, Rayquaza and Mew, have been revealed.

Giratina

Location: The Great Hole
Password: WNWY JXTK &5C1 4N3- P4NM 8K&C
Prize: Rock Megaphone: Increases Recruit Rate for Rock-type Pokemon

Rayquaza

Location: Sky Stairs
Password: HW+8 66%T 5S51+J5Y 4-K# H@P-
Prize: Flying Pianica: Increases Recruit Rate for Flying-type Pokemon

Mew

Location: Mysterious Jungle
Password: X%8S WYY+ S-JF PFH@ @##K 5W8K
Prize: Grass Trumpet: Increases Recruit Rate for Grass-type Pokemon

Source: Serebii.net


Pokemon popular once again

With the resurgence of Pokemon's popularity since the release of Pokemon Diamond and Pearl, the media hasn't shied away from writing about it. This article talks about how Pokemon is popular once again after dying out for a while. Meanwhile, this article talks about how Pokemon has become popular again by finding new fans and getting the older fans interested with online gaming introduced in Pokemon Diamond and Pearl. They are both interesting articles, so be sure to check them out.

Please discuss.

[Shiny Espeon]

Man, I can't wait until PMD2 comes out. Those legendaries are looking nice.

[Alakazam]

Heck, I don't even own PMD1! I am getting it for Christmas, so at least I'll know something about the game. Are you a fan of the game? I heard it's really repetitive with the dungeons and the hunger is really annoying. Do you agree?